


World on His Shoulders

by la_ermitana



Category: Queen of the South (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 03:33:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18984394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_ermitana/pseuds/la_ermitana
Summary: Teresa rescues James from captivity.





	World on His Shoulders

**Author's Note:**

> Just a random idea about possible season 4 and their reunion with some fluff to fill the void during hiatus that I finally finished. @la-ermitana on tumblr

“Javier, you and your team cover the back.”

“Pote, you’re with me. Let’s go.”

“Teresita, are you sure about this.”

“Yes.” Pote knew there was no changing her mind. Especially when it came to him. 

Teresa had just acquired credible intel surrounding James’ whereabouts of the past 10 months. He was being held in a building west of Dallas. She understood why he left her in Phoenix but knew something was wrong. A sicario who James used to know crossed paths with Teresa and knew he used to work for her. He had asked if she had been in contact with James recently. But Teresa hadn’t and knew it was for the best that they didn’t. The sicario had expressed his concern since James hadn’t answered his phone or returned any of his messages. After some digging by her and Ivan, they located a holding house where James was. 

As Pote and Teresa scanned the building, guns drawn, they slowly made their way down the dark halls looking for anything. Looking for him. They came to a door with a lock on it. None of the other doors were secured. Teresa gestured to Pote to break the lock. Pote came and smashed it with the butt of his gun. He opened the door slowly and looked inside. He sees him. Laying on the ground. 

Pote turns to Teresa and her heart drops to her stomach. She rushes in and sees James. She slowly moves down to him. She is close to touching him when he suddenly flinches awake and jumps up. 

“It’s me. It’s me.” She whispers. 

James lets a deep breath out when he realizes what is going on. The shocked look on his face stops any words from coming through his mouth. 

“It’s ok. It’s ok.” Teresa whispers again. She looks at the cuts and bruises on his face and his hair and beard are long. 

“Teresa, what are you doing here? You need to get out of her now!”

“I’m not leaving without you. Let’s go.”

“No it’s too dangerous, you have to leave now. I’ll be fine.”

Pote peaks back into the small narrow room from standing guard to see what is going on. 

“Teresa, hurry we have to go.”

“I’m not leaving him!” She shouts back. She turns back to James. 

“James, please we have to go.” She pleads. 

He takes a beat for a second whether he should risk all these months in custody. Those months protecting her. To finally leave when she came back for him. Or would he be putting her in danger again. 

“I know what’s going on. It’s taken care of. We have to go.”

“No it’s not safe for you here. Leave now.”

“James, I’ll always be in danger. No matter where I go in this business. So I need you to come with me.”

James finally gets up in agreement with her plea. 

As her, Pote and James make their way back down the halls out to their SUV, Teresa makes sure not to let James out of her sight. 

“We’re good.” Teresa quickly tells Javier over the phone as they leave the building. 

James and Teresa climb into the backseat of the SUV and Pote in the driver's seat. They make their way toward the highway. 

The two of them sit in silence side by side. Once every couple minutes they look out the windows to see if they’re being followed. But the only car in their rear is Javier’s. 

“Where are we going?” James asks. 

“Back to my place in New Orleans.”

“You’ve expanded.”

“Yes.”

As always not much for conversation, James nods and looks back out the window. 

“Listen, I...”

“It’s ok. I know.” Teresa says as she puts her hand on his arm. Half her not wanting to get into this now with Pote in the car and half just wanting to give him a break from the chaos. “It’s over.”

James sighs. 

“It’s a little over a few hours back to New Orleans. You should get some sleep.” Pote says to both of them to break the silence. 

As Pote crossed the border from Texas into Louisiana, he looks into his rear view mirror. He sees James sleeping and Teresa asleep with her head resting on James’ shoulder. He looks back at the road. He can see Teresa at peace with bringing James back home and both safe. 

——

Teresa awakens at the car pulling to a stop at the front door of her NOLA house. James also awakens. They both look at each other then back out the windows of the car. The sun is about to rise and the sky is still dark. 

He follows Teresa up the stairs into her home. He looks around and observes. 

“Nice place. You’ve been doing well I see.”

Teresa gives a small smile as they make their way up the stairs. 

“Thanks. It’s not much, just enough for me and Pote while we get established.”

They make her way to her room. 

“The bathroom is there. There’s towels and everything else you need. And that bag is yours with your things.”

“Where is that from?”

“I had Charger send it over from Phoenix.”

James caught off guard by how prepared and thoughtful she was by making him feel as comfortable as he could. After all, he hasn’t felt comfortable in months. 

“I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” Teresa says as she leaves the room. 

James watches her leave as he debates if he should say something. But she shuts the door and leaves him to shower and refresh. 

——

As James comes down stairs to the kitchen, Pote is making breakfast. 

“Are you hungry, cabron?” 

“Yeah.” James answers as he scans his surroundings. Looking for her. 

Pote sees him looking around. And knows who he is looking for. 

“She’s out on the front deck.” As he points his knife out the front window. James looks. 

“Thanks for the food, Pote.”

“Here take this plate to her. She won’t eat.” 

James takes the plate and makes his way out to Teresa. 

Teresa sitting on the bench, watching the sun rise, sips her steamy tea with a blanket on her lap. She thinks about what she had just done. And what he was doing for her those months he was away. Still ashamed of how she questioned his loyalty. 

She turns her head back as she hears someone open the screen door to the deck. 

“Here you go.” James says as he sets the plate of food down on the table in front of her. 

“Did Pote give that to you for me?” She asks with a slight smile. 

He nods. “You need to eat.”

“Thank you.” She leans forward and picks up the half slice of toast and takes a bite. 

James with his plate in his other hand, turns to go back inside. 

“Do you want to sit with me? Watch the sun come up?”

He gives his small smile hoping she would ask him. He takes the few steps closer to her and places his plate next to hers and sits down on the bench to her left. 

He had cleaned up his hair and beard. Teresa can now see the James she remembered. Plus some of the cuts and and bruises still healing on his cheeks and forehead. 

“Did you have everything you need? Feeling a little better?” Teresa asks. 

“Yeah.” He says as takes bites of his food semi trying to not make direct eye contact with her. And this food. Food that not only Pote made but just food. Food he would take any day over what scraps he was being fed in custody. 

“Look you shouldn’t have come back for me. It’s too big of a risk.”

Teresa leans back to the table to put her cup of tea down. 

“When have you ever known me not to come back for you. Even before when you’d tell me I was being stupid every time. But you’d do the same for me.” Teresa explains softly to him referring to the times she drove back for him after the drug bust in Dallas on the trolley or when the militia men had captured him at the border. “I know what you’ve done and why. Thank you.”

James finally looks up to her. His hands shaking at the thought of her knowing everything now. Teresa puts her hands on his. He calms. 

“I told you you don’t need to hide from me. We’re in this together.” She says as she squeezes his hand tighter. 

James continues to look solemn at the thought of what she risked to break him out. She sees he cannot face her. 

“You can leave if you want. I can give you money and whatever you need.” 

He looks down at their hands. 

“You deserve your freedom.” Teresa continues alluding to her initial letting go of him in Phoenix when he left. Freedom that she knows he deserves like she would want for herself. She didn’t want her feelings for him to get in the way of being selfish and keeping him here. With her. 

“I spent months, wondering if I’d make it out alive. And if I did, I wouldn’t spend it in regret. I didn’t know if you had moved on or even thought about me anymore. I just knew I wanted you to be safe. And this was the only way.” 

“I understand.” Teresa said as she tried to hold back her shaking voice. She knew he went through a lot. And she didn’t know if he had a place to go. She wanted to ask him to stay. But she didn’t know how. 

He wanted to stay. But didn’t want her to let him out of pity. 

They looked at each other. No words said. She moved in closer and kissed his lips softly. Their foreheads touched as they looked at each other again. 

From that moment, they both knew where they wanted to be. Right there. Together. 

Teresa turned herself back toward the sunrise and rested her head again on his shoulder. She felt the tension had left his body and they both felt at peace. He kissed her curly dark hair and continued to sit on the porch...while watching the sun rise on a new day, with his whole world on his shoulder.


End file.
